Protestants at Mass

[Lia Laura Puglesi]

David:

I do agree with all what Lydia has explained to you. Of course as a person of free will, you can do whatever you decide to do. Nobody is going to ask you if you are catholic or not, and ban you so you cannot take the communion. At the Church, they’ll assume you are mature and conscious enough to decide what is right to do and what is not. But as a catholic myself, I would personally advise those who are not, not to take the sacrament. There are reasons insight the religion for that. Nobody is going to go poll who is in "full communion with the Catholic Faith", it is a question of personal and private respect. Many Catholics maybe don’t care if someone from other faith take it. I don’t care because I think it is in oneself to chose which is the best way to be in peace within their heart.

For Catholics, as we already talked in the past, the communion is a action with the full value of a Sacrament, different from the communion as it is seen (more as a symbol that reminds us of something) in other religions.

I have had the chance to see that at the interior of the catholic church, many things are practiced here in the USA in a different fashion with respect to most countries. Outside from the USA, at some points of their lives, some people might consider they are not in "Full communion with the Catholic Faith" and willingly decide not to have the sacrament of communion, until they feel in a good disposition again –usually, after confession-. Here in the USA I have seen that many Catholic priests and acolytes behave in a different way from the one I learnt in Argentina and later in France. I was surprised by the fact that nobody pays here much attention to confession and many people decide on their own that they can conciliate with God just by asking Him for forgiveness and praying. Then they take Communion again.

I myself don’t know if this is in agreement with Rome or not, I don’t know if they care, and I personally don’t. I still think than respecting something is a personal decision and not something that should be controlled, forced or imposed from outside. How valuable would that be? . I myself prefer to stick with the old ways I learnt. And when I don’t want to follow these ways, I prefer to step out instead of reinventing the religion according to my personal needs or desires or interpretations. At the present moment, as I don’t feel in “Full communion” with all the aspects of the Faith, but I do have a deep respect for the ways and teachings it has, I have chosen to step away a little.

On the other hand, I agree with the assertion that you will always be welcome to join the rest of the pilgrims for the blessing. Actually, people like when you get interested in knowing more about their customs and want to learn. You want find them trying to convert you into Catholicism. You can ask for the Blessing even when you are in your own and nobody else is there. There was an old tradition in Argentina at the time of my grandmother and till my parents, that was to dedicate the first time you visit a new church you had never been to, to a particular cause, for instance, to the recuperation of a ill relative or friend, and you could ask for a blessing. If the priest wasn’t in a hurry, he would give it to you. You can ask for a blessing to continue your pilgrimage in good health or to be able to gain strength to face a particular situation, what ever. That’s very common in my homeland.

You can also attend to the "Rosario" and also join the prayers in it. Usually they are doing it for particular causes agreed before they start or they just pray together for the causes they all have in their hearts. But sometimes you can also propose some causes or petitions and they will welcome them. In some towns in France and Spain, like in Argentina, there are some opportunities when the Rosario is sang instead of just said in a monochord way. That can be a little intimidating, but it will help you to improve the language too.

A piece of advice: I was surprised many times to find churches in France that were very, very conservatives and strict with respect to the clothes you wear. They didn’t care if you were a tourist or a pilgrim and you had walked a long way and you didn’t know about their dressing rules. I had problems at Marly le Roi, once, because I was wearing a thank top and bermudas and I was puzzled, because it seemed to be much more conservative than the churches in Latino America. No all of them are the same, but I left from a couple of them with a bad taste in my mouth.

If you are going to be there for the Holy Sunday (I think that's the way you call it, right?) try to attend mass in a big Cathedral. Usually they have this HUGE … I don't know the name, vessel with the long chain for the incense, many time hanging from the roof, and it is a pretty interesting spectacle when they use it all together with the choruses and the procession with the offerings. I saw it in Rennes and in Strasbourg and it was really impressive.

Lia.







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